Sucker Punched
by Firewifesara
Summary: The first kiss is only the beginning of true romance. If only she knew who it was that she kissed. AU Finchel
1. Who's That Guy

**A/N- Well hello there! Did you miss me? I have certainly missed all of you but now I'm back with a new AU story. This is one of two that I have been working on for the last little while Expect to see that one in a few weeks. Anyway, this is AU (as mentioned) and it has been fun. For almost nine months now I have wanted to write Finn as a chef, but until a few months ago I didn't have a story line. I finally got this idea while watching Grease 2. It should be noted that I am possible the pickiest eater on the planet, so most of the dishes mentioned are from an Instagram acct that I follow. This chapter is kinda short, but the following chapters should be longer.**

**I have the best cheerleaders on the planet who have continued to encourage me and put up with my constant emails and texts. RedAmbition and Littlee0618 are pretty cool ladies. I love them. I also want to send a shout out to all the twitter peeps who encourage and support me and this hobby. If you have ever sent me a tweet about any of my stories, I'm talking to you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters.**

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><p>The nerve of him.<p>

Rachel Berry was having such a good day. She had finally landed a lead role in a Broadway play. Broadway, not Off-Broadway, the real deal, legitimate, everybody-is-going-to-know-your-name, Broadway. It's too bad she was now standing in a busy New York coffee shop defending her success to her ex-boyfriend turned just-a-friend, Brody.

He had invited her to coffee, seemingly to celebrate her new role, but things quickly turned sour when he told her that he didn't want her in the play that she had just been cast in. That simply wasn't something he got to decide.

"You do not get a vote, Brody. We broke up months ago." Rachel sipped from her coffee, hoping it would calm her down. It was not okay for Brody to tell her what she could do. "And why didn't you tell me you didn't want me to do this play months ago, when I started auditioning for it? It's not like you didn't know the story."

Brody rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter, I'm telling you now. What will people think, Rachel?"

"It's a play Brody. If I remember correctly there was kissing in the play we were just in." She clutched the coffee in her hand and folded her arms across her chest, hoping it would keep herself from crushing the cup in her hand.

Her and Brody had dated for almost seven months while they stared opposite each other in an Off- Broadway production of _Beauty and the Beast. _They even continued dating a little while after they wrapped the show, but broke up when they realized that they weren't that compatible when it came to romance. They had been maintaining a great friendship since.

Well, until today.

His eyes scanned the crowded coffee shop, being careful to look anywhere but at Rachel. Brody liked Rachel and agreed that they weren't working out as a couple, but now that she was possibly going to be moving on, he has found himself unexpectedly jealous. "That was different."

"Why? Because I was kissing you." She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to say otherwise.

He shrugged. "Exactly." He took a step closer to her, reaching his hand out to touch her arm.

Rachel knew she should control her anger here. After all, she was in a crowded coffee shop and in a few months everybody was going to know her name. Right now though, he was touching her arm and telling her to give up her dream, causing her anger to grow exponentially; she was beginning to lose her composure. She leaned closer to him and spoke to him in a harsh whisper. "I'm even going to waste my breath telling you again how your logic fails there. I am a grown woman and this is an excellent opportunity for me."

"Rachel, I forbid you to be in this play." He stood up straight and crossed his arms across his chest, channeling all the authority he possessed.

She placed her cup on the nearest table and balled her hands into fists at her side as she leaned closer to him, raising her eyebrow at him. "You forbid me? Who do you think you are? I have taken this part and I intend to keep it. You most certainly do not get to forbid me from it because there will be kissing. I am free to kiss whomever I please. Hell, I could kiss the next guy who walked in here if I wanted to." She pointed vaguely in the direction of the door and was pleased when she saw his eyes flicker to the entrance.

"You wouldn't dare." He challenged.

That's when she snapped. Who did Brody think he was to dictate the roles she could and couldn't take? He needed to be taught a lesson. She turned swiftly and walked to the door, every step causing her heels to click against the floor with determination. She noticed a couple taller men pulling the door open and without warning, she took hold of the collar of the first guy through the door and pulled him down till his lips met hers.

Finn Hudson had no clue what was going on. He was just walking along casually, listening to Kurt complain about how much he worked. Again. Clearly, Kurt did not know how much work went into running an upscale restaurant. Finn was busy all the time, these things just don't happen overnight, it takes a lot of time and effort. He was explaining it all to him when Kurt pulled open the door to the coffee shop and gestured for Finn to enter first. What Finn hadn't expected, was to be forced into a lip lock as soon as he set foot in the shop.

He barely had time to register that his collar was being pulled on before his lips were pressed against the stranger's. He instinctively puckered against the unknown lips as his hands wrapped around the waist of the small girl. To be fair, he didn't get a good look at who he was kissing before, but he was pretty sure it was a girl. Another thing he was pretty sure about was that this kiss was amazing. After the initial shock wore off he eagerly returned the kiss, gladly granting the mystery tongue the access it was now asking for. He was almost afraid of what would happen when she inevitably pulled away from him.

Rachel hadn't planned on this. She was only supposed to kiss a random stranger to prove her point to Brody, but she was not prepared for the tingling sensation coursing through her. Whoever this was, he was waking up parts of her she didn't even know were asleep. She found herself prolonging what was supposed to a quick kiss so that she could keep the feeling a little longer. She vaguely heard Brody's voice coming from close behind her.

"Fine you proved your point." Brody reached up and pulled on her shoulder separating her from the dazed stranger. "I said I get it"

Rachel released the collar of the man, a man who she now sees is very tall and very attractive, and steps back quickly scanning the area around them, noticing the shocked faces surrounding them. Somehow remembering why she was kissing the man in the first place, she turned to face an obviously angry Brody and poked her finger in his chest. "I think we are done here. I'm leaving. Don't bother calling me." She turned back to the tall man and locked eyes with him, hoping he understood her silent apology as she walked past him and out of the coffee shop with her head held high.

Finn stood in shock as his mystery kisser stormed past Kurt who was still holding open the door, his mouth uncharacteristically hanging open. Before he could make the decision to go after her, the man who she was yelling at stepped in front of him.

"Don't get any ideas, man; that's my girl." Brody brushed past Finn, purposely knocking shoulders with him before pushing Kurt aside. "Rachel, come back..."

"Didn't seem like it to me," Kurt scoffed, finally able to enter the coffee shop. He stood next to a still stunned Finn, eyeing the menu hanging over the counter. "Well that was interesting. Do you know her?"

Finn shook his head hoping to clear it so he could hold a conversation. "No. I don't know her." Finn couldn't help to think that maybe he wanted to though. All he knew was that her name was probably Rachel and he definitely wanted to kiss her again, if the opportunity presented itself. "I don't even know Kurt."

"Come on, lover boy." Kurt recognized the look in Finn's eyes, he even welcomed it.

Rachel walked down the busy street, turning corners and weaving through strangers hoping to avoid Brody. She's not exactly sure what had happened back there, but she found herself intrigued by the handsome stranger that she had kissed. She was pretty sure she would never see him again and the thought of that made her sadder than the thought of her and Brody's fight. The unexpected side effects of accepting Brody's challenge had seemed to bring her a new dilemma.

How will she find- and possibly kiss- that guy again?

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><p><strong>AN- Sorry I made Brody the bad guy, but somebody has to be. :) I hope you are interested in seeing this story unfold. **


	2. Fire

**A/N- Wow! The response to this has been so amazing! Thank you all for allowing me to take you on this journey. Thanks to Erica and Redambition for the behind the scenes support. Jesse and Mike are about to join the party and I'm not going to lie, I enjoy having them as supporting characters. I hope you enjoy their presence as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or it characters. The Perfect Key and Crescendo not exist in real life as far as I know, so i suppose I have some claim to them****. This is purely for fun. **

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><p>"Great job everybody. We'll pick it up after lunch."<p>

Rachel watched as the large director picked up his sheet music, tucked it under his arm, and exited the stage. She walked to the edge of the stage and was momentarily startled when a familiar arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Hey Dollface, you want to grab dinner?"

She turned to see Jesse St. James, her costar and friend, looking at her with an adoring wide smile. "Oh! I heard about this place nearby that I really wanted to try. Can we go there?" She and Jesse were the leads in a highly anticipated original musical that was set to debut in a month. _The Perfect Key_ had been rehearsing for a few weeks now and Rachel really felt that she had found a life-long friendship in her costar. They had very similar tastes in just about everything and he really seemed to understand her.

"Of course."

Rachel clapped her hands excitedly and reached up to kiss Jesse on the cheek. "I'm going to go change; meet back here in ten?"

The pair changed and made their way down the New York streets, finally stopping at a canopy hanging over the sidewalk. Jesse opened the door, allowing Rachel to enter ahead of him, and they were greeted by a friendly hostess who immediately led them to a table near the center of the restaurant. Rachel removed her jacket and hung it over the back of an empty chair at their table while Jesse pulled out hers and allowed her to sit. He took the seat directly across from her and looked around the modern dining room.

"Wow. This place is nice."

"It is." They both opened the menus placed in front of them by the hostess and searched for what sounded good. They didn't get long to look before they were greeted by their waitress.

"Welcome to _Crescendo_ my name is Audrey. What can I get you two to drink?"

Rachel and Jesse both looked up from their menus and smiled politely at the older blonde waitress. "Can I get tea with some honey, please?"

"Sure thing, Sweetie. How about you, Hun?"

"I'll take water with lemon please."

"Great, I'll be right back to get your order." She flashed them one more smile and left them to look over the menu, returning a few minutes later with their drinks. "Do you two know what you would like?" She looked between Rachel and Jesse, finally setting her gaze on Rachel, who had just closed her menu.

"I think I'm going to get the apple walnut salad."

"Excellent choice." She entered Rachel's order on the tablet in her hand and turned to Jesse. "And for you sir?"

Jesse closed his menu and placed it with Rachel's and then picked them both up and handed them to Audrey with a bright smile. "Can I get the Ahi Tuna?"

"Sure thing."

"Thank you." The waitress walked away and Jesse looked to Rachel.

"So, what's the deal with the plastic jerk?" Ever since the guy had stopped by rehearsal last week, Jesse had been dying to know what his deal was. It was clear by the way he was interacting with Rachel that they had some sort of history but just in case she really liked him though he didn't want to express his distaste quite yet. The guy was attractive on the outside, but for some reason, Jesse just didn't like him; he gave off a bit of a creep vibe.

Rachel rolled her eyes liberally. "Brody? Ugh. He's my ex. We starred in the Beauty and the Beast together and dated for a while. We broke up months ago, but he seems to keep forgetting that. He even tried to keep me from this show."

"He did what?"

Rachel was about to elaborate but they were interrupted by the waitress. "Here are your drinks and some bread."

"Thank you."

Jesse reached across and gently swiped some of the butter onto the warm crusty bread and passed it over to Rachel. "How did he try to keep you from it?"

"He 'forbid' me."

Jesse stopped buttering the slice of bread and looked at Rachel as if she had two heads. "Excuse me? He did what? Did you laugh at him?"

"Worse. He told me he didn't want me in it because of the kissing, so I told him I could kiss anybody I wanted to. Then I kissed the next person who walked through the door of the coffee shop." Rachel giggled and felt her face flush at the memory. She hoped Jesse didn't notice.

"What's that, why the blushing?" He pointed generally at her face. He had a feeling that there was more that she wasn't telling him.

"No reason." She shrugged and took a small bite of the bread, her eyes avoiding contact with his. She really did want to tell him the rest and the effects it had had on her since, but she's wasn't sure how to without sounding insane.

"Spill. You can trust me."

She swallowed thickly and looked down at the table then up to Jesse. "That kiss was the single most exciting thing I have ever experienced in my life. It's like he knew exactly how to kiss me. It was amazing." Once again they were interrupted by the waitress.

"Okay, we have the apple walnut salad," she placed a plate in front of Rachel, "and the ahi tuna," and one in front of Jesse. "Enjoy!"

Rachel looked at her plate in awe. It was easily the most beautiful salad she had ever seen. "This looks amazing!"

"Tastes amazing too."

Jesse was already taking bites of his food, savoring the tastes that it brought, while Rachel did the same. They engaged in small talk between bites, both of them focusing on the delicious flavors of the meals in front of them.

Finn placed the plate of salmon on the small shelf separating the waitresses from the main kitchen area and watched as Wendy situated the plates on her tray and left the kitchen. "Thanks Chef."

"Okay. How about Tina's cousin? She's pretty." Finn groaned as he set about prepping the steak for the next table.

Mike Chang was his right hand man in the kitchen. He had hired him before they even finished the renovations on the restaurant and made him the assistant manager shortly after they opened. Mike was a family man and it seemed his goal in life was for everybody else to be as well. Starting with Finn. "Mike… I told you, I'm fine. I have the restaurant and in case you haven't noticed, it keeps me plenty busy."

"Trust me, I know. I'm here with you twelve hours a day, remember?"

Neither one of the men, Finn especially, knew that there was so much time involved in running a restaurant. When Finn was young, his mother worked long hours and since his father had died when he was very young, he was often left to cook for himself. Early in high school he found that he enjoyed creating new dishes and it turned out he was pretty good at it. He entered the Columbus Culinary Institute then worked his way through the ranks of a couple well respected kitchens first in Ohio then in New York, before deciding to open his own restaurant in New York. He had done a great job of saving his money and had put a down payment on a place near the theater district almost three years ago. _Crescendo_ had opened to excellent reviews almost two years ago and even on an early Tuesday evening, there were plenty of people in the dining room.

"All I'm saying is that you need to get out more and dating is a way to do that." Mike said. Interrupting Finn's wandering thoughts.

Finn rolled his eyes and glanced at the screen where the orders were detailed. Thankfully, two years in the kitchen together has given Mike and Finn the multitasking skills necessary to hold a conversation while they prepared the food for the waiting customers. "You sound like Kurt."

"Yeah, but you like me better." Mike chuckled while he chopped the vegetables in front of him with precision, his knife working at an impressive speed.

"Sometimes." Finn turned on the gas burner and readied the small frying pan he was planning to use before instinctively turning to the small fridge behind him. "Can you get me some scall…" The nice thing about the layout of Finn's Kitchen, was that there was a small window that looks into dining room. When it felt like you were stuck in the enclosed kitchen, you could look out into the dining room and the space around you seemed to open up. Today, however, the small window provided Finn with the perfect view of someone whom he was sure was Rachel and a curly haired man at table fourteen.

Mike chuckled again as he watched Finn stop dead in his tracks in the center of the kitchen. "Some what?" He asked, amused.

"Oh. Uh, scallions, I need scallions." Finn managed to get the function of his brain back just long enough to remember what he needed and return to task at hand. He grabbed his tongs and placed the pan on the burner, adding the butter and some herbs and spices. While he waited for the pan to heat up, he chanced another look into the dining room. He saw her smiling and enjoying her dinner, clearly happy, and Finn smiled. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Even at this distance.

Mike chopped the onions while he watched a clearly distracted Finn mindlessly shuffle a now smoking pan on the burner. "All ready." Mike knew that Finn was going to have to start this dish over but he called to him, hoping to get him to snap out of it. "Finn? Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Finn continued to shuffle the pan in front of him while he looked out the window. He was afraid to take his eyes off her, afraid that she would leave if he could no longer see her.

Mike looked down at the pan, still clutched in Finn's hand and raised an eyebrow at him, "You sure?"

"Yeah. Why?" Finn finally tore his gaze from the window to look at Mike questioningly.

Mike smirked and pointed at the pan on the burner. "Cause your pan is on fire."

"Oh crap." Finn's attention quickly snapped to the pan and sure enough, the butter and herbs he had intended to melt together was now on fire. He moved the pan off the burner and placed a lid on it, effectively snuffing out the small blaze. He reached over and retrieved another pan so he could start the dish again.

"What was that about?" Mike left the bowl of scallions for Finn and moved closer to the window. He looked out the window and then to Finn. "Do you know her?"

Finn blew out a breath while he monitored the melting butter in his pan. "Yes. No. Not really."

"Okay. Glad we cleared that up."

He tossed the scallions into the pan, shaking it lightly to mix the contents together. "She was fighting with her boyfriend and she kissed me." He shook the pan again and dumped in a small bowl of shrimp and tossed all the ingredients with a small flick of his wrist. "Her name is Rachel; I only know that because the boyfriend chased after her. She has no idea what my name is. So I guess, technically no, I don't know her."

"But you want to."

Finn dumped the shrimp onto a plate of pasta and handed it to Mike for finishing. "Well yeah. Look at her. She's freaking gorgeous." Finn placed the earlier prepared steak on the grill, being careful to watch it closely this time.

"Not really my type, but yeah, she's pretty." Mike delicately placed a small garnish on the plate, wiped at the edges and placed the plate next on the shelf just as Finn set the now plated steak next to it. "Table nine, order up." He turned and looked at the incoming orders and began the next dish. "Why don't you go out there and talk to her?"

Finn shook his head and grabbed a pan for his next order. "I can't. She probably doesn't even know who I am."

"She will if you go out there." Suddenly getting an idea, Mike began making a fresh strawberry sauce.

Finn garnished another plate and placed it on the shelf for Wendy. "I can't. Table 22, order up. She is with someone anyway."

"Fine then, I tried." Mike took the freshly made sauce and drizzled it over a slice of cheesecake, before adding a fresh strawberry and a mint leaf. He wiped at the edges and placed it on the shelf. "Audrey, will you please send this strawberry cheesecake to table fourteen," he turned to face Finn, "compliments of the Chef."

Audrey smiled and took the plate, setting out to complete her task. "You got it Mike." Audrey left the kitchen with the cheesecake, grabbing two forks on the way, and stopped next to the table. "And for dessert, some strawberry cheesecake."

Both Rachel and Jesse looked up from their final bites to see the waitress holding a smaller plate with two forks. "Oh, we didn't order this." Rachel said, slightly confused by the sudden appearance of the dessert.

"Compliments of the chef. Enjoy." She placed the plate between them on the table and then left a small black folder containing the bill. "I'll just leave this here as well, no rush."

Jesse eyed the cheesecake and licked his lips as he took a clean fork in his hand. "Wow. This place is great. We have to come back."

"Definitely." Rachel took her own fork and pierced it into the corner of the cheesecake and brought it to her lips. A soft moan escaped her lips as the flavors hit her tongue. "This is delicious."

Jesse, too, thought the dessert was delicious, but Rachel's moan of appreciation reminded him about their earlier conversation. "It is. So did you get the guys number?"

"Who?"

"The guy you kissed."

Rachel took another bite and shook her head. "I wish. I was so mad at Brody I stormed out-"

"Naturally." Jesse added causing Rachel to laugh.

"It is my signature move." She took another bite, savoring it once again. This place had amazing food. "I still go to that coffee shop a few times a week, hoping to bump into him, but no luck so far."

Rachel looked at the ticket and dropped some cash for her portion on the table while Jesse did the same. He stood and retrieved her jacket from where it was on the chair. He held it up and she turned her back to him and slid her arms in. He rested his arms on her shoulder and kissed her cheek tenderly.

Mike and Finn watched the two eat the cheesecake for a moment then turned to Finn. "You are probably going to regret it if you don't go out there."

Finn signed. "I know." He began prepping the next dish, his mind racing. "It's weird. It's somehow easier to not know for sure if that guy is her boyfriend, cause there is that small possibility that she is available." He wanted to believe that the she was out for dinner with a friend, someone who did not hold her heart in the way he wanted to.

"How will you know if you don't go talk to her?" Mike looked out the window and saw the two of them each place some cash on the table and get up from the table. "Uh oh. Better hurry, she's leaving."

Finn panicked for a brief moment, scrambling to get to her. He wanted to go out there and introduce himself but he saw the man hold her jacket up for her to slip her arms through the sleeves and kiss her cheek softly. She looked so happy with him and it was just not appropriate at this time to go out there. No matter how much he wanted it to be. "I can't. She seems happy."

"Suit yourself."

Rachel and Jesse left the restaurant and once again Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You know, if you are meant to find him, you will. Don't give up just yet."

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><p><strong>AN- I hope you enjoyed! I'm going to be posting some of the meals that Finn is making to my Twitter (firewifesara) if you would like to see what was made. Thanks for all the love. **


	3. Helping Hands

**A/N- I can't believe how great you guys have been about this story. I can't even begin to thank you all enough. In case you were wondering, this story will have seven chapters. I am trying to post as I get ahead with my writing, so there isn't a definite schedule for posting, it's just happening as I go. Kurt is joining us in this chapter and I gotta say that he is a lot of fun. Again, special thanks to Erica and RedAmbition. They are awesome. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters. To my knowledge, ****_The Perfect Key_**** and ****_Crescendo_**** do not exist outside of this story. This is purely for fun.**

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><p>"Finn, you spend too much time here. Would it kill you to take a day off?" Whenever Kurt would find himself in the area of Finn's restaurant, he would stop in and catch up. They would usually sit in the back corner of the restaurant, out of site from most of the other patrons. Finn would argue that Kurt was there to pester him about the things in his life he didn't feel were getting enough attention. When they were renovating, Kurt would stop in to pester him about décor, but now his focus had shifted to Finn's dating life. Or lack of.<p>

Such was the topic of the day.

"I own the place, Kurt. It's not like I can just leave, I have obligations."

Kurt finished the last bite of his salad and pushed the plate away before he dabbed the corners of his mouth with the napkin that had been resting in his lap. "I know that this place means a lot to you and I get it okay. We are just worried about you."

"We?" Finn had a feeling he knew who 'we' was, but he had to ask.

"Carole and I. We know that you have worked very hard to make this place what it is, and it's wonderful. I mean, look around." Kurt held out his hands generalizing the well decorated space. "It's great. You are hiding here though. You are a twenty-eight year old man, Finn. You need to get out more, maybe go on a date."

Finn let out a huff. His brother and his mother were really kicking up their meddling for some reason. He wished he knew why they insisted that he needed a woman. He was doing just fine. "Hey! I've been on dates."

"Really?" Kurt raised his eyebrow and sat back in his seat. He simply wasn't buying it. "Was it the girl I set you up with? Tammy."

Finn's eyes immediately dropped to focus on the plate in front of him while the fork in his hands idly gathered the remaining bite on it. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"It has everything to do with it Finn. You are avoiding relationships. I could see it if you had been heartbroken or something, but this is getting ridiculous. You are hiding in that kitchen." Kurt knew how great of a guy his brother was. He knew that he was destined for great love. It hurt to see him too busy to actively search seek it out; even it was only once a week. Kurt was also well aware of how much the restaurant meant to Finn. He knew how much work had gone into his schooling and how much he had sacrificed to own his own place. Now that it was open, established, and doing well, Kurt (and Carole) felt it was time he stopped sacrificing his love life.

"I'm not hiding. I just haven't met the right girl. These things don't just fall in your lap." Finn shrugged and immediately noticed the way that Kurt crossed his arms and arched his eyebrow. He knew what he was referring to.

"Don't they?"

"Shut it Kurt." Ever since Kurt had watched Finn get kissed by the brunette in the coffee shop, he had been adamant that there was potential for greatness there. He had been pestering him regularly and kept inviting him to the same coffee shop where it had happened. Finn had gone once, but she was not there.

Kurt finished the last of the diet Coke in his glass and pushed it away. "Fine, fine. If you don't want to seek out the one girl who could possibly be it for you, FINE. You can't say I haven't tried."

"For your information, I went to the movie with a girl last week." Finn pushed his own plate away and marveled in Kurt's reaction. "One you didn't set me up with." Finn added smugly.

Kurt clasped his hands together. "Is there going to be a second date?"

"Probably not. But there was a date." He pointed at Kurt, emphasizing his need for this topic of conversation to end.

"Fine. I suppose that will have to do. All I'm asking is that you please get out of this restaurant a little more." Kurt sighed in defeat and stood. "I should probably go, my samples should be ready. Thanks for lunch."

Finn held out a fist for Kurt, who reluctantly bumped it and added a hefty eye roll for effect. "Bye Man."

Kurt waved at the kitchen staff through the window and made his way to the exit. Just before the doors, he passed the hostess, who was leading a couple to a vacant table. They hadn't made it far passed him when he noticed who it was. Kurt stopped dead in his tracks and turned to get a second look. That was her, he was sure of it. He looked up to see the waitress making her way to them. "Oh my Versace." He whispered. He needed a plan, and fast. He walked fast to catch Wendy just as she made it to their table. He plucked the tablet that she used to take orders from her hand, ignoring her look of shock. "Uh hey Wendy. I got this one." Kurt flashed her a smile, then turned it to the couple sitting before him. "Welcome to Crescendo, my name is Kurt. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Tea with honey and my friend will have water with a lemon please." Rachel watched the tall, non-waiter looking man take the electronic notepad from Wendy in disbelief. She had never seen him here before, despite her frequent trips, and the man was not dressed in the same uniform that was worn by the other members of the wait staff. "Are you new?" she questioned.

Kurt shook his head and channeled everything he knew about being a waiter and his brother's restaurant. "Oh no. I've been here since it opened. Do you come here often?" He asked, abruptly switching the focus back to her in an opportunity to get more information. She smiled at her companion and then turned back to him.

"We have been coming in here every week for a month now, since we started rehearsal almost. The food is simply delicious."

Kurt was pleased with her answer, and decided to press forward with his meddling. "Oh really. Broadway stars? Have you had a chance to meet the chef yet?"

"We haven't had the pleasure yet."

Jesse watched the exchange between his friend and the waiter with intrigue. It was clear he was not interested in Rachel romantically, but it also appeared he was not interested in himself romantically either. Yet, he practically ran down Wendy for the chance to help them. Jesse wondered to himself what was happening. "We aren't officially Broadway stars yet, although, it is inevitable."

"You must meet the chef. I'll bring those drinks right out." Kurt gave them one last smile and walked with determination towards the kitchen. On his way past Wendy, he handed off the tablet with the instruction to get their drinks and ignored her sputtering.

Rachel watched as the man, Kurt, made his way into the kitchen, pausing only to talk to their original waitress. She looked at Jesse with a question clearly on her mind, one she was sure Jesse would echo. "What was that about?"

"I don't even know." He shook his head. "I don't think he was dangerous. Not conventionally, anyway. He was clearly fishing for something. I have no idea how our drink orders are going to help him with that, though."

Rachel giggled slightly. "You're right, he didn't seem dangerous. He looked somewhat familiar, but I can't place him." Rachel racked her brain while she waited for their drinks to arrive.

"Familiar huh?"

Rachel shrugged. "It'll come to me. Probably when I climb into bed or something."

"Isn't that the way these things go." Jesse mused.

Kurt stomped into the kitchen where he found Finn settling back into the kitchen after lunch. "Finn Hudson."

Finn turned at the low volume screeching coming from his brother. "What are you doing in here Kurt?"

"Don't even. Why didn't you tell me that Rachel has been dining here?"

"Rachel's here?" Finn knew in that moment that that was the wrong answer, highlighted by his craning to see out into the dining room from his small window. May as well lay it out there. "Look, she comes in once in a while okay. With her boyfriend."

In an instant, Kurt's indignant expression turned to laughter. "Oh Finn, my naive brother. That's not her boyfriend." He said, shaking his head.

"They have kissed. I saw." Finn looked out into the dining room once again watching as Wendy delivered their drinks.

"That's creepy, but none-the-less, he's not her boyfriend. I'm here to help. Do they always get the same thing?"

Finn shook his head, his face clearly showing his confusion. "No. Why?"

"Wendy is going to get their order and you are going to go out there. They would like to meet the chef." Kurt smiled as big as Finn had ever seen as he patted Finns shoulder. Both his smile and his patting were enough on their own to unnerve Finn, but when Kurt uses them together, Finn gets worried.

"Kurt… What did you do?"

He shrugged and smiled again. "Nothing."

"Kurt."

Kurt stepped back. "They are future Broadway stars, Finn, and they want to meet the chef. Hop to it." Kurt flashed another smile and walked out of the restaurant. He was quite pleased with himself.

When their order popped up on his screen, Finn inwardly panicked. He had no idea what they were expecting or how she would react. Part of him wanted to beat the crap out of his brother, the other wanted to just get it over with. He made their food with the same care he always used and placed it on the shelf for Wendy. He didn't mean to sound as if he had only hit puberty yesterday when he spoke. "Table 31, order up."

It was then, that Mike came to his side. "Kurt helping again?"

"Is that what this is?"

Mike laughed. "In his own way." Mike turned and took a step away from Finn then turned back around. "I'm on his side this time."

"Traitor." Finn looked out the window to see Rachel and her friend (boyfriend?) starting on their meals. He looked down at his white jacket to make sure he was presentable and took a few steps towards the door leading into the dining room. He paused and took in a deep breath before he opened it and walked to their table. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall at the end table and took in one last cleansing breathe. "Are you enjoying your meals this evening?"

Once again, Rachel and Jesse were not disappointed in the meals they had ordered. Jesse usually ordered one of two or three things, but Rachel ordered something different every time. She was adventurous when it came to food, and when it was as good as it had been here, she wanted to try everything. Thankfully their theater was not far and they tried to make it once a week in an effort to feed Rachel's ravenous hunger. She was twirling her pasta on her fork when a shadow fell over the table and she looked up from the delectable pasta dish in front of her. Her eyes followed the white coat all the way up as her lips sucked the noodles in between her lips. Had she had her wits about her, she may have been a little more suave. Instead, she swallowed thickly and "It's you," was all she managed to say.

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><p><strong>AN- Isn't Kurt helpful? I hope you are still enjoying this one.**


	4. Dumb Struck

**A/N- And we continue. Thank you all for the kind words and support. It means so much to me that you are enjoying this. This chapter was a blast. It ended up taking a little bit of a different turn than I expected, but it was a fun one. One of my favorite lines ever is in this chapter. I hope you get a kick out of it. As always, special thanks to Erica and RedAmbition. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or its characters. To my knowledge, The perfect Key and Crescendo do not exist outside of this fic. This is purely for fun.**

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><p>Finn was pleased that Rachel seemed to remember who he was, even if she was on a date. He smiled as she continued to look at him in shock, the alfredo sauce that once coated her pasta, now on her lips. "Hello. I would like to thank you for joining us at <em>Crescendo<em> this afternoon. I'm Finn Hudson, the owner and head chef. How does everything taste?"

Jesse watched as Rachel basically lost all of her wits right there in front of him. She was staring blankly at the chef. She had no idea that there was white sauce on her lips, he thought about telling her, but chose not to in hopes that she would figure it out before too long. He wasn't sure what was going on with her, Rachel Berry was usually very composed, but apparently he was going to have to be the one to carry the conversation today. "It's delicious, as always, chef. I'm Jesse St. James and my silent companion over there is Rachel Berry. I'm sure if she was able to speak she would tell you her food is delicious as well." He looked pointedly at Rachel, who was still staring blankly at the chef, and discretely kicked her under the table. "Right, Rachel?"

Finn turned his attention to the brunette beauty. He noticed her flinch then blink rapidly before her eyes seemed to actually see him standing at her table. "Yes. It's Rachel, I'm delicious." Jesse raised an eyebrow in amusement. She was clearly flustered, something he was enjoying but also very much wanted to understand. Her face reddened and she tried again. "I mean. My name is Rachel and the food is delicious."

Rachel couldn't believe what was happening. There he was, standing at her table. She found herself staring at the way the white coat fit his torso. He was even taller than she remembered, maybe because she was sitting and he was standing. Either way, he was tall. She didn't have time at the coffee shop to admire him as much as she would have liked, but looking at him now, she was impressed. She was happy that her random kissing had at least brought her someone as attractive as he was.

"I'm glad you are enjoying it." Finn chuckled at her obvious word jumble; he could see that Rachel was not herself. In the coffee shop she was completely composed and collected, even in her anger. He enjoyed this side of her too; pasta sauce included. "Please let Wendy know if you need anything else. It was great to meet you and I hope you will join us again soon." Finn would never describe himself as suave, in fact he was pretty sure nobody would, but today he was proud of the way he kept his cool. Especially around Rachel. He still wanted to kiss her again but at least he was able to keep himself from doing so in his restaurant in front of a guy who could possibly be her boyfriend.

Jesse watched as Rachel once again sat there in silence staring at the chef. "Thank you chef. We will definitely be returning."

"Enjoy the rest of your meal." Finn bowed slightly as a way to politely remove himself from the table. He took a step back and then turned to begin his short journey back to the kitchen.

Rachel watched as Finn made his way back to the kitchen. It was then, that her mouth finally caught up with her brain, mostly. "Thank you!" She practically shouted. Finn turned over his shoulder and gave her a heart melting smile just as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"What the hell was that? I've never seen you act like that." The end of his sentence was punctuated with thud as Rachel's forehead hit the table. "Rachel?"

Rachel groaned. "I can't believe that just happened." She refused to lift her head while she spoke to the table. "I'm such an idiot." He was just as good looking as she remembered and she had just made a huge fool out of herself. She was impressed with his professionalism and obviously his food and now she felt as if there was no way she would ever have a chance with him.

"He was cute, huh?" Jesse mused. He folded his arms and a chuckle escaped his when he heard Rachel groan into the table again. "You didn't think so?"

She lifted her head up swiftly and looked incredulously at Jesse. "He's not cute, Jesse. He is extremely handsome and I just made a huge fool out of myself."

"Do you know him? When he first came to the table you said 'it's you.'"

Rachel rubbed her forehead where it had come into contact with the table. "Remember the guy I kissed to teach Brody a lesson?"

"Wait. That's him?" Jesse turned around to steal a glance at the kitchen then turned back to Rachel. "That's the guy you kissed?"

Rachel groaned again. "I have no idea how I'm going to fix this. I'm not even sure I can ever come back in here." She leaned over the table looking at Jesse imploringly. "How bad was I?"

"It wasn't that bad. We can fix it."

She visibly relaxed as she sat back in her seat. "Are you sure?"

"I am." He saw her smile and looked at the door where Finn had disappeared into before. "Oh, Rachel?" She turned her attention to him and he held his napkin out to her. "You have some sauce on your face."

She took the napkin and wiped off her mouth frantically. It is official; Rachel had zero chance with Finn now. Her brief glimmer of hope from before snuffed out as her forehead once again made contact with the table.

Jesse couldn't help but tease her just a bit. The damage, if that's even what you could call it, was already done. On the outside, Finn was calm and professional, but his eyes told a different story. His eyes gave away his attraction for Rachel. Whenever he would look at her, he could see the attraction and the hope. It was clear that he remembered who she was, even if he didn't explicitly say so. Jesse could tease Rachel about it now, though, because he had a plan.

"How about we just finish our food Rachel? I'm sure it will be just fine."

Finn entered the kitchen and immediately went to wash his hands so he could go back to work. His heart was beating loudly as the warm water ran over his hands and he lathered them up. Overall, he thought that he had done a pretty good job at not making a fool of himself. He was pleased that he was able to refrain from embarrassing himself in front of her, like he was known to do. He rinsed the soap off and dried his hands, returning to his work station.

"Glad you made it back. How'd it go out there?"

Finn smiled at Mike and set to work on the next order. "Good, I think. I don't think I said anything too embarrassing."

"That's new."

Finn gave him a look that suggested that he was calling him a name and chopped the vegetables in front of him. "Did Kurt leave?"

"Yeah. He stepped out when he saw that you went out there." Mike set the plate he was working on on the shelf. "Table seven."

"He can be such a pain."

Mike retrieved the steak he would need for his next plate and began preparation as he continued to hassle Finn. "How about you stop stalling and tell me what happened out there."

"Nothing really. I just gave them the usual spill. Thanks for coming. Hope it tastes good. I'm Finn. Come back again." Finn smiled as his hands continued with the food. "She seemed flustered."

"Yeah? Do you think that was a good thing?"

Finn whisked the sauce he was preparing in the pan. "I think so. I mean, she didn't really talk much and she had alfredo sauce on her face the whole time, but Jesse acted like it wasn't normal for her."

"Jesse?"

He poured the sauce over his dish and placed it on the shelf for the waitress. "Table two. Yeah. Jesse. The guy she was with. Kurt may be onto something with him. He didn't really act like her boyfriend. I think he even kicked her once trying to get her to snap out of it."

"He kicked her?"

"Not like that. He was trying to get her to talk to me. I don't think a boyfriend would do that."

Mike went back to his dish. "There is hope for you yet."

Wendy thanked the couple that had become regulars over the last few weeks as they got up to leave. The woman stood and made her way to the door while the man hung back at the table a while longer while he finished up with the bill.

"Wendy. As usual, excellent service and food today. Might I ask you to do a favor for us?" He smiled sweetly and handed her black folder. Wendy didn't verbalize her willingness to help, but her expression told him that he could continue. "I am Jesse St. James and that lovely young lady over there is my costar Rachel Berry. We are going to be opening an original Broadway play in a couple weeks, but before it opens to the public, we like to do a private showing for friends, family, and important people in the community." Jesse looked over at Rachel then tapped on the black folder Wendy was now holding. "In here there are two tickets to that private showing. Could you possibly see that our chef, Finn, gets these?" She looked down at the folder with interest. "For your troubles, I have raised the amount of your tip."

Wendy discretely opened the folder and saw that he did add to her normal tip and she was not complaining. "Of course sir."

"One more thing, could you also tell him the she's not usually like that?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure. Yeah. I'll tell him."

"Thanks Wendy. We'll see you next time."

"Thanks for coming in." She told him. She also waved politely at Rachel, who was waiting near the door for Jesse to finish up. Wendy stopped by the cash register and removed the tickets, leaving behind Jesse's signed receipt and the black folder before going into the kitchen. "Finn."

Finn turned to see Wendy trying to get his attention from her side of the kitchen. "What's up Wendy?"

"Table twenty five left these for you." She passed a couple small pieces of paper through. "He said that they were in it and they would love to repay you for coming out to greet them today. He also said…" She looked up to the ceiling trying to recall the exact words that were used before she looked back to Finn. "'She's not usually like that'. Whatever that means. Anyway, here you go."

Finn took the tickets and looked at them closer. "Thanks Wendy."

"What are they?" Mike asked.

"Tickets." He turned them over, checking the back for more information. There wasn't any other info on the back; they were just standard show tickets, except for where it had 'private showing' printed on it. "For a show called _The Perfect Key_ ever heard of it?"

"Nope. Are you gonna go?"

Finn placed the tickets in his wallet and smiled. "You know what? I think I will."

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><p><strong>AN- It's not often that Finn is the suave one. I really liked Rachel being the less than smooth here. Can you guess the favorite line? Thanks again for everything. See you for the next chapter. **


	5. Recovery

**A/N- With all th love I received on twitter today, I felt like I should post this tonight. I can't thank you enough for all the support. For those of you that guessed "It's Rachel, I'm delicious." as my favorite line in the last chapter, you were correct! I laughed the whole time and every time I read it after. Thanks again (and still) to Erica (littlee0618, she has awesome stories, go read them!) and RedAmbition for the behind the scenes support and encouragement.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or its characters. As far as I know, The Perfect Key and Crescendo do not exist outside of this story. This is purely for fun.**

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><p>"I can't believe we are getting an exclusive viewing of <em>The Perfect Key<em>. The critics have been going crazy over it."

Because the showing was a matinee, Finn would only need Mike to cover him for couple hours, including opening up the restaurant for the day; Mike was more than happy to do so. And to keep himself out of trouble, Finn had decided to ask Kurt to join him. Kurt was a fan of the theater and since Finn had basically gotten these tickets because of his meddling, it seemed like the right thing to do. Even if Kurt had been going on and on about the play and Finn's potential for love since they had met up at the restaurant. "Can you just be cool, Kurt?"

"'Be cool' really, Finn?" Finn followed behind Kurt, scanning his ticket as entered into the theater. "Do you know what role she has in this?"

Finn opened the playbill to see Rachel's name in bold lettering, alongside Jesse's. "It says she is playing Emma."

"Emma? That's the lead Finn."

He knew that the lead in any play was a big deal, but he didn't want to get Kurt even more worked up than he already was. The more Finn could downplay his excitement, the better off he would be. "Okay."

Kurt rolled his eyes at his step brother then sighed deeply as they wandered into the theater to find their seats. "I guess I should just be happy I got you here."

"Hey! I invited you, remember?" Kurt gestured to a pair of seats that matched the ones printed on their tickets. "These are pretty good seats."

Kurt sat, his eyes scanning the theater in awe. "They are. You said he just left them for you?"

"He gave them to Wendy to give to me."

Kurt shook his head. "I still can't believe it." Just then the lights in the theater began to flicker. "Shh. It's about to start."

Finn chose not to point out that Kurt had been the one talking; instead, he sat back and watched as the play began.

_The Perfect Key_ portrayed a young woman, Emma, who was ready to give up on her life until she found herself at an inn outside of the small village that she lived in. The inn was managed by Eric, a handsome widower who was looking for a way to save the business he had started with his late wife. Emma and Eric became friends and when he found out that she had the voice of an angel, he convinced her to sing at the inn. Eventually, Eric taught Emma to trust people again and Emma taught Eric to love again. The songs were haunting and beautiful and the cast was phenomenal.

Rachel was a natural on the stage; she commanded the audience's attention and pierced their hearts with her voice. More importantly, she commanded Finn's attention and her voice pierced his heart. He was mesmerized by her even more than he had been before.

Each of the members of the cast took a final bow as the curtains pulled closed in front of them while both Kurt and Finn stood and clapped wildly. Their hands were still stinging when they exited the theater and began the trek back to the restaurant.

"That was amazing. Amazing, Finn. We have to come back and see it after it opens." It was safe to say that Kurt enjoyed the play; Finn even thought that he saw him tear up at one point. "Rachel is incredible, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She was great."

Kurt looked over at Finn in time to see the goofy smile on his face. "Are you going to ask her out?"

"She has a boyfriend Kurt." He said.

"The guy she eats with?" Finn nodded and Kurt chuckled slightly. "If that guy is her boyfriend, I'm the Queen of England."

Finn put his hands in his pocked as they continued down the sidewalk. "You keep saying that he's not her boyfriend, but they are always together."

"They work together, Finn. Have you seen them hold hands?" Finn shook his head. "Kiss?"

"Just on the cheek."

"Have they shown anything for each other besides friendship? Anything at all." Kurt glanced at over at Finn, who seemed to think for a brief moment before shaking his head once again. "I'm telling you, if she has a boyfriend, it's not that guy."

Finn raised his hands in the air in frustration as they got closer to the restaurant. "Dammit Kurt! I hadn't even thought of there being a boyfriend that wasn't this guy."

"Calm down." Kurt said with a chuckle. "Just talk to her. You'll see that I'm right." Kurt didn't know for sure, but his intuition told him that Rachel was single; at least he hoped she was. Now in front of the restaurant, the men stopped so that they could part ways for the day. "Thanks for letting me come with you as your plus one."

Finn opened the door. "No problem dude. See you later." Kurt waved as he began to walk away and Finn went inside to relieve Mike. "Hey Mike, how did it go?"

Mike looked up from the plate he was preparing to see Finn putting on his white coat. "It was good man. Just the usual. What happened with you? How was the play? Did you get to talk to Rachel?"

"The play was great, Rachel was fantastic in it. Even Jesse was pretty good in it." Finn finished fastening the last of the buttons on his coat and began washing his hands. "I didn't get to talk to her, she was busy, you know, being the star of the show."

Mike raised an eye brow at Finn as he took his place in the kitchen. "Was she any good?" He pointed to the screen, silently indicating to Finn where to start.

"She was incredible." Finn set to work making the orders that were waiting to be made while he told Mike all about the show. The afternoon wore on and Finn and Mike worked side by side, each of them taking turns discussing what was on their mind as they made plate after plate. Finn stepped to the fridge as he glanced out into the dining room. There were only a few of the tables occupied since it was still a little early for the dinner rush, which made it really easy to spot Rachel and Jesse sitting at a table near the door. The small pair of tongs he was holding hit the ground with a clang and startled Mike.

"Dude!" Mike leaned back and peeked out the window to see what had got into Finn. He shook his head when he saw that it was Rachel, again. "If you don't pull it together, you are going to destroy everything in this kitchen."

Finn picked up the tongs and out them in the sink, before grabbing another set and handing them to Mike. "I'll be right back."

Jesse and Rachel handed their menus to the waitress. "That will be out in a few minutes." It took some convincing from Jesse to get Rachel back into _Crescendo_ after the last time they were here. Rachel had been extremely embarrassed at her behavior when she met Finn but Jesse had convinced her that she needed to give him something else to remember her by. If not, he would only have her dumb-struck, babbling, sauce covered face to go on.

"So, how do you think it went today?" Rachel asked.

"We were great. Of course Tessa could try a little harder, but I think that's why she is still at the theater right now." Jesse sipped from his glass. "You were great today though."

Rachel blushed slightly as sipped from her tea. "You were great too." She buttered a slice of the bread left behind by the waitress and took a small bite. "I'm so hungry."

"Me too. I'm glad they let us have a break between the show and rehearsals. It will be nice when the show officially opens and we get to slow down a little."

Rachel nodded, having just taken another bite of the bread. She finished the bite and sipped from her tea again. "The crowd we had today was good. They seemed to enjoy the sho-"

"Here we are. Roasted corn and black bean quesadilla for you and the ahi tuna for you." She put the plates on the table between them. "I'll be back to check on you soon. Enjoy your meals."

The waitress left and they each picked up their forks to begin eating. "You really should branch out more. Everything I've had has been delicious." Rachel said just as she took a bite of her quesadilla. "Mmmm, including this."

Jesse cut a small bite. "Maybe next time." Jesse took the bite and cut another just as a shadow fell over the table. He looked up and was pleased to see Finn standing at the edge of the table. "Chef. To what do we owe the honor?"

"I just wanted to come out and congratulate you on the show." Finn looked between the two of them, a small half smile on his lips. "It was awesome."

Rachel looked up to see Finn standing there and blinked rapidly, trying to bring herself under control. She was determined not to be such a spaz this time. "You saw it?"

"Yeah. Your boyfriend left some tickets for me." Finn gestured to Jesse, though his eyes were focused on Rachel. As soon as the statement left his mouth, Jesse began to laugh out loud.

"Boyfriend?" Jesse continued to laugh, while Rachel looked on. His laughter died down slightly and he wiped the tears that had appeared at the corner his eyes. "That's hysterical and also very false; she's like my sister." He looked to Finn, then to Rachel before he smirked. "Rachel here is as single as they come."

Rachel coughed slightly, caught off guard by Jesse's comment. "Jesse!"

"Sorry, she is very desirable." He amended, looking at Finn seriously. Rachel sputtered again.

"Jesse!"

Jesse chuckled lightly. Truth be told, he was enjoying this. "Let's just leave it at I'm not her boyfriend. We just make out on stage sometimes. If you're okay with sharing her six days a week, she's all yours." He felt a kick to his shin from under the table. "Ow."

"Jesse! Will you please stop?" Rachel gave Jesse a hard pleading look as he rubbed his leg under the table. "Sorry. He must have hit his head or something." She turned her attention to Finn, who had been silent during the whole exchange. "So you saw our play?"

Finn nodded and smiled slightly. "I did. It was amazing. My brother says you have a real shot at a Tony." The way Rachel's eyes lit up made Finn's heart flutter just like her eyelashes.

"What about you? Do you think we have a chance?" She asked, almost in a whisper. Finn's eyes locked on hers as his mouth turned up into a smile.

"I think they would be fools not to give them all to you." He said honestly. A moment went by where they were only looking at each other and then Finn seemed to realize that he was keeping them from their meals. "I just wanted to come out and let you know that I enjoyed your show. I'll leave you to your meals, now."

Jesse looked between his friend and Finn who seemed to be caught in a trance. He let them have a moment before he spoke, starling them both. "Thanks chef."

"Thank you." Rachel watched him until he disappeared behind the kitchen door and then turned her attention to Jesse. "You gave him tickets?"

Jesse shrugged and took a bite of his food. "I have to do something after the way you behaved last time you talked to him; if you can even call it that."

"He probably thinks I'm an idiot. And you certainly didn't help. What the hell is wrong with you?" She pointed her fork at him, hoping he was getting the hint. Instead, he just laughed.

"I enjoy watching you squirm."

Rachel took a bite of her food and shook her head. "You're evil."

"That's not a complete exaggeration, but it's going to get you a date." Jesse knew she would be less than pleased with the things he had said, but he also recognized that Finn was fishing for answers. If he was trying to find out if he and Rachel were dating, which is ridiculous, then he clearly had an interest in her. Jesse was more than willing to share the information with him; teasing Rachel a little was just a perk.

"We'll see about that." Rachel wiped her lips with her napkin and placed it on the table beside her plate while scooted her chair out slightly. "I need to use the ladies room, try not to humiliate me anymore while I'm gone."

"No promises." Jesse said. He felt satisfied by the playful glare she sent him over her shoulder as she walked away.

Even though the conversation didn't quite go as he had planned, Finn was satisfied with what he had learned. Rachel was single. His mind was thinking up a way to ask her out, while his hands were busy finishing the flank steak for table twelve.

"Chef. Can I get you to help me with this register?"

Finn was broken out of his thought by one of the waitresses. "Sure, Laura. Give me just a minute." Finn plated the dish and set it on the shelf. "Table twelve is up." He wiped his hands and joined Laura at the register. She explained her dilemma and Finn was able to fix it quickly before turning to return to the kitchen. He only took a step before he noticed Rachel standing alone, across the dining room from her table.

This was his chance.

He slowly walked to where she was standing, looking at one of the paintings that was hung on the wall. He stopped just behind her and spoke softly. "That one's my favorite."

Rachel jumped at the sound of the now familiar voice. She turned quickly, with her hand on her chest. "Oh. Chef, you startled me."

"Sorry." Finn said, smiling sheepishly. "I really was not trying to scare you."

"It's okay. I was just looking at this painting." Rachel turned her attention back to the painting. "It seems different than most of the other ones you have in here. Why this one, Chef?"

Truth was, it was different than most of the other ones he had around. It still went with the décor, but it had a different feel to it. There were different colors sectioned off by abstract lines that gave the picture the appearance of a piano. A very subtle piano. "Please, call me Finn." He smiled at her and took a small step towards her. "I chose this one because I liked it. It's simple, yet open to interpretation. I like the simplicity." He shrugged.

"That's makes sense." She turned to face him and was surprised at how close he was to her. He wasn't touching her, but she could feel his body heat radiating between them. Rachel's heart rate was already up, but his close proximity was threatening to cause her heart to beat out of her chest. Part of her wanted to go back and join Jesse, but she felt like she needed to say something while she had him alone. "Chef, Finn, I want to apologize for attacking you at the coffee shop a couple months ago. I was in the middle of defending some choices to someone who had no business having an opinion about them and you got caught in the middle. I'm sorry about that."

"I'm not." He took a small step towards her, closing the gap between them slightly. "I was actually kind of hoping that maybe you would go out with me sometime?"

Rachel snapped her head up so her eyes would meet his. "Really?"

"Well, yeah." He reached out and gently took her hand in his. "When you kissed me, I felt it…" He placed her hand over his heart and covered it with his own. "Here. Then I saw you enter my restaurant and I was just happy to see you again, to know that I didn't make you up." He took another small step towards her to where there his chest was almost couching her. "And today, today I heard you sing. I had to come out and make sure you knew how incredible it was to hear you today." Finn took a step back, his hand still resting over hers on his chest. "Just think about it. Take all the time you need." Finn took another step back and released her hand. He turned and took in a deep breath as he made his way back to the kitchen.

Rachel stood there, in shock as Finn walked away. She wanted to say yes; she wanted to shout it out to him. His sweet words had rendered her speechless and she was stuck in silence. Her feet eventually allowed her to find her way back to her table and Jesse, who questioned her long absence and shock. She told him what had happened and ignored his laughter.

"You just can't seem to keep your wits around him. That's a good sign." He sipped from his water as she tried to finish her food, her previous hunger all but forgotten. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." They finished their meals, each thinking about what Rachel could do to fix her situation. Rachel was signing her receipt when she suddenly got an idea. She dug in her purse and produced a small sheet of paper and began to write on it. It didn't take long; she folded it and put it in with her receipt. Her mood was suddenly lifted as her and Jesse left the restaurant and went back to the theater.

"Finn. This was left for you."

Laura handed over a small folded piece of paper that he took. His name was written in loopy script on the outside of the paper indicating that it was for him. He took a deep breath and opened it slowly. Part of him was afraid to read what it said but the bigger part of him needed to know. His worries quickly dissipated when he saw the simple words that were written inside.

**I'd love to.**

**~Rachel**

**555-4533**

"What does it say man?"

Finn looked up at Mike while he folded the note and placed it in his pocket. "It says that I have a date."

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><p><strong>AN- YAY! It's fun to have Jesse as a good guy for a change. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one is the date! **


	6. Taking Chances

**A/N- He we are at the date! If you are hungry, this chapter may not help and you may want to grab a snack. I have neve made this recipe before, so there was lots of winging it. Thanks to Erica and RedAmbition for the support and ideas. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Glee, its characters, or any of the music used. To my knowledge, 'Crescendo' and 'The Perfect Key do not exsist out side of this story.**

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><p>"Wow. You look amazing."<p>

Rachel stood in the doorway of her apartment blushing wildly as Finn appraised her appearance. She took the opportunity to take in his as well. His maroon shirt had the top buttons undone and was tucked into his casual black slacks. The slacks fit him perfectly and Rachel couldn't wait to get a glimpse of what his back side looked like in them.

Finn held out the flowers he had purchased on the way to pick her up. He was nervous and holding them had given his hands something to do instead of shake. When she opened the door the shaking had stopped, unfortunately, so did his breathing. She was standing in the doorway wearing a pink long sleeved shirt and skinny jeans, her long legs accentuated by the strappy black heels. Her long brown hair had a slight curl to it and fell to the middle of her back. He wondered what it might be like to run his fingers through it. When he was able to breathe again, he extended the pale pink lilies to her. "These are for you."

Rachel blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear as she took the flowers from him. She stepped back and to the side, giving him the space to enter. "Thank you Finn. Would you like to come in while I put these in water?" He put his hands in his front pockets, nodded, and entered the apartment. She closed the door behind them and made her way to her kitchen, the flowers pressed against her nose the whole way. "I'm glad you called. I thought I may have missed my chance." Rachel was talking loud, hoping he would be able to hear her from the other room, which turned out to be unnecessary. Finn had followed her into the kitchen, unknowingly startling her.

"It's going to take more than that." She jumped slightly and then turned to smile at him. "I'm glad you said yes."

She removed a vase from the cupboard and filled it with water. "Me too." She arranged the flowers in the vase and turned to him once again. "I'm ready."

She got her purse and led him out of the apartment, taking the time to lock her door behind them. Once in the hallway, Finn held out his arm to Rachel. She threaded her hand through, linking her arm with his. They walked to the street where Finn hailed a cab for the two of them. When he gave the driver the address, which Rachel recognized as Crescendo, she turned to him

"I hope you don't mind that we are going there."

Rachel rested her hand gently on his knee. "It's fine."

Finn had tried to think of the best date possible for him and Rachel. A Monday afternoon was not a common time for a date, but with their schedules, it worked out to be the best time for each of them. After a string of text messages, Finn had found out that she wanted to cook better, so he decided that he would give her a cooking lesson. The best place he knew of to do that was at his restaurant and since they opened late on Mondays, they would have the place to themselves. "How about we get to know each other better? Do you have any siblings?" Finn asked as the cab made its way through traffic.

"I am an only child. How about you? I think you said you have a brother, are there others?"

Finn laughed. "Just Kurt, my brother. He's plenty."

"I've always wanted a brother or sister." Rachel said, focusing her attention on Finn.

Finn shook his head at the many memories he had of Kurt and them growing up together. "They are not all they're cracked up to be, trust me." It was then that he was hit with another memory of his brother. "You met Kurt once, I think."

"I did?"

"Uh, yeah. Remember the waiter that didn't seem like a waiter?" Finn rubbed the back of his neck nervously as she quietly put the pieces together. "That was Kurt. He likes to put his nose where it doesn't belong."

Rachel giggled. She thought it was adorable how Finn was nervous about her having met his brother. "He seemed relatively harmless." Then she remembered what else happened. "Wait. That was the day you came out to our table. The first time." She felt her face flush red ass her own memories came back. "That was humiliating." She buried her face in her hands, thoroughly embarrassed by her behavior that day.

"Don't be embarrassed, you were adorable." Finn chuckled when he heard her grumble from behind her hands. "Hey, hey. Please don't hide." He gently placed his hands over hers and tried to coax her from where she was hiding. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about." She slowly lifted her face out of her hands while Finn gently lowered their entwined hands to his lap, his eyes focused on hers. Still holding her hands in his lap, he slowly leaned forward.

"We're here."

The cab driver pulled the car to the curb, breaking the pair from their shared trance. "Oh. Uh thanks man." Finn looked at Rachel apologetically before pulling some cash from his pocket and handing it to the man. "Keep the change." Finn exited the taxi and held a hand out to Rachel, helping her out to the sidewalk. Taking her hand, he led her across the sidewalk as he continued with their previous conversation. "Would it help if I told you something embarrassing that I've done?"

"Maybe."

Finn smiled at her as he retrieved his keys and unlocked the door. He unlocked the door and moved aside, allowing her to enter first. "When I was in high school, Kurt was getting bullied a lot. Anyway, our glee club was doing a lady Gaga themed week and I may have threatened to beat up a couple of jerks while wearing a shiny red shower curtain as a dress." He closed and locked the door behind them, smiling at the slight laughter he could hear coming from his date.

"Shiny. Red. Shower curtain? Are there pictures?" Her slight laughter turned a little less slight as she tried to picture Finn wearing something so silly.

"I hope not." He shook his head and took her hand, leaning her towards the back of the restaurant.

"It was very chivalrous of you to help your brother out though. Even if you were in a dress." Rachel's laughter subsided and she squeezed Finn's hand. "You're right I do feel a little better."

Finn smiled back at her. "Then it was worth it." He pushed open the large door that separated the kitchen from the dining room and once again allowed her to enter first. "Come on in."

Rachel stood in the doorway soaking in the appearance of the large kitchen. "Whoa. This is what the kitchen looks like?"

"Not what you expected?" Finn didn't want to admit that it mattered to him what Rachel thought about his kitchen. He couldn't explain why, but he felt as if he needed her approval.

She could see that he was waiting for her response and she could tell that it mattered. The large industrial kitchen was clean and functional and slightly intimidating, but it was also Finn and she could tell that he loved it. "No. it's better. I've never seen a professional kitchen before."

Finn took her hand and led her further into the kitchen. Her head seemed to be on a swivel as she took in everything around her. "I guess that means you've never cooked in one?"

"What?"

He led her to the back wall where the white coats hung from hooks lining the wall. "You said you wanted to learn how to cook. I was hoping maybe I could teach you. If that's okay."

"That's wonderful. I would love to." Rachel's heart swelled knowing that Finn had listened enough to plan a date based on the things she had mentioned only in passing. She told him that she could cook the basics, but she had always wanted to learn more.

"Yeah?" Finn pulled one of the white jackets hanging on the wall and handed to her. "Here. Why don't you put this on? We don't want to get your clothes dirty." His heart was racing as she examined the jacket that he had handed her. He wondered if he was being too forward when he embroidered her name on the chest. He didn't want to risk ruining her clothes and it seemed fitting for a cooking lesson. "I hope it's the right size. I guessed."

Rachel brushed her fingers across the elegant script that spelled out her first name on the front of the white jacket. "Finn. You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. You can't cook without the proper attire." Finn slid his own jacket over his shoulders and began buttoning it from the bottom up. He was pleased when she, too, began buttoning her jacket. "Now, do you know what you would like to make?" He handed her a menu, stopping to admire the way the jacket fit her frame before stepping over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Hmmm. How about the truffle pasta with pan seared chicken? I saw it on the menu last time I was here." Rachel put aside the menu and tied her hair back with the elastic that she kept on her wrist before joining Finn at the sink.

"Done. Let me just grab all the stuff." Finn made his way around the kitchen, gathering the things they would need as he went. "I love that you rarely get the same thing twice. It's nice to see."

Rachel smiled as she watched unload the things he had gathered to a prep area near the center of the kitchen. "I tried to be a vegetarian for a while, but I found that I just like food too much. Now I just try to stay away from red meat." She stood there, mentally taking note of how many ingredients they would be using. It was more that she thought it would be.

"That seems like a good compromise." Finn stood next to her at the island, sorting out all the ingredients in front of him. "Ok here is everything we'll need."

Rachel looked over everything once again, identifying the things she recognized. "That's a lot of ingredients. What are we making for you?"

"I'm having the same thing as you. It will be easier that way." Finn smiled warmly at her before taking hold of the raw chicken breasts he had brought out of the fridge and putting them in a prep area away from the other ingredients. Rachel didn't have to ask why, she knew that raw chicken shouldn't be near the other ingredients. "Okay, we'll start by prepping the chicken." He showed her how trim and thin out the chicken so that it was the right size for the dish they were making. Rachel followed along well, playing the part of student very well.

"Like this?" She held up the now prepared chicken for his inspection and was happy with the way he smiled at her.

"That is great. Let's put those here and wash up before we move on to the rest." After washing their hands again, the two planted themselves in front of the vegetables that were waiting for them. "Now we'll cut up the other ingredients. We want to make sure everything is ready to go into the pan." Finn led her through the preparation of the capers and olives and then placed the lemon butter and wine closer to the stove where they would be used. "First, let's start the water for the noodles." Finn took down a large sauce pan and filled it with water before placing it on a burner away from where they would be working with the chicken. He explained to her that it was mostly just to give them more space where to make the sauce. He then retrieved two medium pans from where they hung near the stove and handed her one. She seemed apprehensive when she stood next to him in front of the stove, but one supportive smile boosted her confidence enough to continue. "I'll use this pan and you can just follow along next to me."

"You're sure I can make this?"

Finn nodded and turned on each of their burners and nodded. "Of course I do." He placed some of the lemon butter in each of the pans. "Now we'll wait for the butter to melt. When it is ready, we'll add the chicken." She asked a couple questions about the kitchen and the restaurant business while the butter melted. Talking seemed to come easy for them. "Okay, let's add the chicken. Here's the tongs."

He handed her a set of tongs and held out the plate of chicken to her. She gently placed the chicken to her pan and handed back the tongs for Finn to do the same. "When should we add the other ingredients?"

"We will add the wine now and the other stuff when we flip it." Finn opened a bottle of white wine and took the handle of his pan while he tipped the bottle precariously over the chicken. "Ready?" She took an involuntary step back as he poured some of the wine in his pan causing it to immediately flame up. Finn shook the handle, moving the chicken in the pan as the flames died down. "Ready for yours?" He asked with a smile.

"Umm." Rachel had seen that on TV, but seeing it in person was a whole new experience. She was a little scared of getting burned, but she was more frightened of making a fool of herself in front of the handsome chef.

"You want some help?"

"Yes please. I would hate to burn down your restaurant on out first date." She giggled uncomfortably, only half joking. Finn moved to where he was behind her and leaned over her shoulder.

"It would take more than this, trust me." Rachel was intrigued by his answer, but chose to focus on the impending flame she was about to handle. All other thoughts left her head when she felt Finn's hands resting on her hips. "Ok just hold the pan over the heat." She held the handle of the pan, trying hard to keep it over the burner when her instinct told her that standing this close to an open flame was a bad thing. "Good. I'm gonna pour in the wine and you just keep shaking the pan. Don't shake too hard though." Finn removed one of his hands and placed it over hers on the handle of the pan, gently moving it over the burner. "Just like that. Ready?"

Rachel took in a deep breath and again fought the urge to run as she forced herself to nod. "I hope so." His hand steadied her hip as he poured a steady stream of wine, the flames coming the same way they hand for him. "Ahh."

"Keep shaking, don't stop." He stood there, waiting for the alcohol in the wine to burn away. He could feel her relax as the flame disappeared and he stepped back. He sort of missed the warmth that came with being so close to her. "See. Perfect. Let's lower the heat and we'll start on the noodles." Finn took the tongs and lifted the corner of the chicken and shook the pan to loosen the meat. "I think it's about time to flip the chicken." He handed off the tongs and watched with a little pride as she followed his lead. "Mines ready, how about yours?"

"The bottom is all brown, so I think it's ready."

"Then let's flip them." They each took turns with the tongs and then added the ingredients they had prepared before to the pans. "Now we cover it, turn down the heat a little and focus on the pasta. Looks like our water is boiling, so let's add the noodles." Finn and Rachel moved over to the large pot of water and added the noodles and stood back for the short break they had found themselves in.

"How do you keep track of all this? There are so many things happening at once."

"You get used to it. It took a lot of practice." He peeked at the chicken, shaking the pans as he did. The smells seemed to intensify when he did and Rachel moaned.

"It already smells so good."

Finn was worried that basically making Rachel cook her own meal on their first date would be a little harsh. He was pleased that she seemed to be taking in all the information while having a little fun. "It does." His half smile was aimed at her while he admired her once again. "I think the noodles are done. Here is some tongs, will you stir the chicken?"

She nodded and did what she was instructed, pleased that the simple task allowed her to watch him as he drained the pasta into a colander. He immediately transferred the noodles into a stainless steel bowl and mixed in a small amount of white paste and began tossing them in the bowl.

"What was that?"

"Oh. It's the truffle butter. I'm just tossing it with the noodles while they are still hot." Finn flicked his wrist, causing the noodles to completely integrate the butter without ever being stirred with a spoon.

"How do you do that without spilling it all over the floor?"

Finn chuckled and flicked his wrist a final time. "You spill it a few times. Chefs don't like when you do that so you learn quick or stop doing it."

"Good to know." Rachel said with a laugh.

"Ok this is ready." Finn divided the pasta onto two white plates and looked up to his date. "How's our chicken doing?"

She pushed the chicken around the pan once again and then looked over her shoulder at Finn. "I think it's done."

"Yeah?" Finn stood behind her, once again resting his hand on her hip. "Looks good to me." He backed away and picked up the pans, leading them over to where he had already plated the pasta. He set one pan down and held the other over one of the plates of pasta, shaking it slightly. "If you shake it just right, everything should slide right onto the noodles." The sauce poured over the noodle, followed by the browned chicken leaving Finn's pan empty.

Rachel felt his eyes on her as she attempted to coax the chicken onto her noodles. She gave the pan a shake, and was relieved when his large hand covered hers on the handle. She's not sure what he did differently, but the chicken slid right out. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Finn slid the corner of his towel over the edges of the plates, cleaning up the misplaced droplets of sauce. "Now we just garnish it with the tomatoes and some herbs." Rachel sprinkled her plate the same way Finn did and stood back to admire her plate. She was quite proud of herself. She looked up just in time to see Finn pulling the jacket off his arms. "Now if you want to follow me, dinner is served."

He waited for her to take of her jacket and picked up both plates, leading them to a table set for two. Finn already had the silverware and wine glasses on the table, along with a bottle of wine in a bucket next to the table. She never thought making her own dinner could be so fun and romantic.

He set the plates on the table and pulled out one of the chairs. Rachel flashed him a smile and took the seat he was offering and then watched him pour them each a glass of the wine.

"Here we go." Finn took his seat across from Rachel and held his glass up in the center of the table. "To good food and better company."

Their glassed clinked together over the center of the table; they each took a sip of their wine and placed their glasses down in front of them. "It smells so good."

"How about we eat it?"

"Yes, please." Rachel cut a piece of the chicken and brought the fork to her lips. His own food forgotten, Finn watched as a moan escaped Rachel when she took the first bite. He already knew that she appreciated food, his food, but he had never got to see her try it for the first time. "Oh my gosh. This is so good."

Her words brought him back to where he was supposed to be and he cut into his own chicken. "You did really well in there."

"You're a good teacher." She took another bite, still unable to contain the moans that were escaping her. "I did want to know one thing though. What does it take to set the kitchen on fire? Have you ever done it?"

Finn groaned but reluctantly told her. "A few weeks ago."

"What?" Rachel was intrigued. It's not like Finn was new to this. What could have possibly caused him to set something on fire? The way his cheeks flushed red, only made her more curious.

"I got distracted and let some butter catch fire in a pan I was working with. Mike thought I was going crazy."

He was embarrassed. The sheepish look on his face gave him away and she sipped from her wine and asked the question she needed to know the answer to. "What distracted you?"

"You."

"Oh." Rachel twirled her pasta trying to think of a way to ease the situation. "I guess that puts you in the lead for embarrassing stories this evening."

"Is there a trophy or something for that?" Finn joked, causing both of them to share a laugh. "Can we talk about you? Is this your first Broadway show?"

Rachel finished chewing the bite she had taken then sipped from her wine. "I've done a couple off Broadway shows, but this is my first one on Broadway."

"What were the ones you did before? Would I know them?"

"Maybe." Finn refilled their wine glasses as Rachel searched her memory for the plays she had been in previously. "Let's see. I did _Les Mis, Little Shop of Horrors, _and I stared in_ Beauty and the Beast_." She sipped from her glass once again. "I was supposed to play Audrey in _Little Shop of Horrors_, but Judy Alexander's parents donated a butt load of money to the theater so they gave her the lead instead of me."

Finn set his fork o his now empty plate, and leaned across the table with a smirk. "Judy Alexander sucks."

"It's true." Their laughter filled the empty restaurant and they clinked their wine glasses together as a show of solidarity. Rachel appreciated that Finn was willing to just agree with her on this. She still resented Judy, and it was nice to have somebody in her corner without hesitation. "So why Crescendo?"

"When I was younger I would do one of two things to relax. Play the drums or cook. So I decided to name this place Crescendo as a way to connect my music with my cooking." He took another bite, his pasta rapidly diminishing on his plate and his wine almost empty.

Rachel took the last bite of her food and gently pushed her plate away before wiping her lips with her napkin. "Do you still play?"

"Sometimes. Usually in the morning before I come here."

"You have many layers Finn Hudson."

Finn smiled and stacked her plate on his. "Like an onion." He stood from his seat and grabbed the plates, ready to clear the table form their meal. "Are you ready for dessert?" She nodded and started to stand, but Finn rested his free hand on her shoulder. "I'll get it."

It wasn't long before Finn returned with a small plate with an assortment of mini cakes arranged on it. The small sponge cakes were filled with a chocolate pudding and whipped cream and were topped with strawberries. They were beautiful and Rachel almost felt bad for wanting to eat them. "Finn, these look delectable."

"I made them earlier. I figured having you make your own dinner was bad enough, I could at least make you dessert."

Rachel smiled, sheepishly looking at the table. "I've had a really good time."

"Me too." Finn picked up the small fork resting on the plate and cut a small portion of one of the cakes between them. His eyes locked with hers as he raised the fork to Rachel's lips. She opened, allowing him to feed her the first bite of the delicate dessert. When he pulled the fork from her mouth, her tongue licked her lips and that's when he could no longer take it.

He rose in his seat, using his height to help him reach across the table. The hand holding the fork, now supported his weight over the table while the other found its way to the side of Rachel's face. Their lips met with eager anticipation.

Rachel brought her hand to Finn's cheek as she allowed herself to succumb to the feeling of his lips on hers. She had longed to kiss him again. Now that it was happening she knew it was right. She knew that this was where she belonged.

When they had shared a kiss as strangers, Finn felt as though they were meant to be something more. Now that they were no longer stranger, this meant so much more and Finn knew. He knew that they were destined to be together. He knew that when he dropped her off at home later that night, that it would not be the end.

It was just the beginning.

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><p><strong>AN- Yay! I hope you liked it! I'll be posting pictures of the food to my twitter! Only the epilogue left. Much love!**


	7. Sealed with a Kiss

**A/N- And we have arrived at the epi of Sucker Punched. I'm so glad you have let me share this with you. Thanks to everybody who has been a part of this: Erica, RedAmbition, and YOU! **

**Disclaimer- I do not own Glee, it's characters, or any of the music or lyrics used. To my knowledge, The Perfect Key, Crescendo, and Syncopation do not exist outside of this story.**

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><p><em>"<em>_Here on 'Inside Kitchen' we like to highlight not only the restaurants but the people who run them." _A series of pictures started to flash on the screen as the personable television host continued._ "Crescendo and Syncopation have become favorites in the New York area; drawing crowds from all over and usually attracting Broadway greats. Finn Hudson is the owner and head chef of both of these New York favorites. I have learned that your wife came in here a lot, before you were married. Is that true?"_

The camera now centered on Finn, dressed in his usual white jacket, while he and the host stood in the kitchen of his restaurant. _"She did. I asked her out on our first date out in the dining room." _The camera panned out, now showcasing Finn and the host together while they continued to talk.

_"__Some of you may recognize Rachel Berry from her many Broadway roles and four Tony awards, but it turns out that our Chef not only asked her out here, he and miss Berry also had their first date right here in this kitchen."_

_"__It's true."_

The men moved the center of the kitchen, the camera staying focused on them. _"So chef, this is the same meal you two made on that date?" _

_"__That's right."_

_"__Amazing. What is it that we are making today?" _

_"__We are going to make truffle pasta and pan seared chicken."_ Finn started to work with the chicken that was already laid out for him with a comfortable ease that he often had while in the kitchen.

_"__It must be good if it lead to marriage and couple cute kids." _

The men shared a laugh._ "You can never go wrong making a woman a meal."_

A TV had been set up in the dining room of Crescendo for the viewing of the 'Inside Kitchen' episode that featured Finn and his cooking. When he first got the call from the Food Network asking if he would appear on the popular show, he thought he was dreaming. In his life he had already been so blessed both personally and professionally, a call from the Food Network was the icing on the cake.

The dining room was filled with his family and close friends watching the TV as he showed the host how to make the dish he had prepared with Rachel almost ten years ago. She was sitting next to him, their three year old daughter perched in her lap, her attention being captured by the TV. Elizabeth was rarely able to sit still, but seeing her father on the TV seemed to be holding her hostage. Chris was sitting on the other side of Finn, swinging his legs back and forth while he leaned forward in an attempt to get closer to the TV. Chris was six -almost seven- and even though he had a much better attention span than his little sister, he much preferred running around playing, usually outside.

Rachel looked over at Finn in the same moment she looked at him. Their eyes locked and they shared a small smile at the same time he reached for her hand. He loved her so much and he knew that no matter professional success he had, it wouldn't have been the same without her by his side. She had her own career, complete with four Tony awards, three of which were for _The Perfect Key_. She relinquished her role when she was about four months pregnant with Christopher. Her fourth Tony came when she stared in _West Side Story_, a role she landed shortly after Chris turned one. Since the birth of Elizabeth, Rachel had been working as a vocal coach and casting the next generation of Broadway greats, a job she treasured.

Mike sat on the other side of the room, surrounded by his family. It was no secret that Finn credited him with the success of his second restaurant, Syncopation. Mike is partial owner and he wants to make sure that it succeeds. His wife, Tina, and Rachel have been close friends for almost as long as he and Rachel have been married. The women have shared so much of their time with one another that they often refer to each other as sisters.

"Dad! Is it over?"

Finn was brought out of his inner revelations by Chris nudging his side. "It looks like it."

The lights in the dining room went up and the sound of applause filled the dining room. The misty eyes of his mother caught his eye; he thanked everyone for coming and reminded them that there were mini hors d'oeuvres. He made sure to thank his family and Mike and then he set the room free to mingle. It was Kurt who came up to him first.

"I can't believe my brother was on TV. I always thought you would see me on there first."

Finn chuckled, knowing that his brother was serious. "Me too."

"I'm proud of you though."

The sincerity in his words brought Finn a smile. He and Kurt had a close relationship, but they were still brothers and moments like this did not come around often. Finn reached out and hugged him tight. "Thanks"

"You can thank me with dessert or naming your next child after me." Kurt backed out of Finn's embrace and straightened out his designer jacket. "Up to you."

Kurt walked away, leaving Finn chuckling. It wasn't long before Finn's mother, Carole came up to him, holding a small plate with an assortment of snacks on it.

"These stuffed mushrooms are to die for. Is there bacon in them?" She popped another in her mouth, enjoying all the flavors it had to offer.

"Yeah. I thought bacon added to the flavor."

She nodded while her gaze flickered to the table behind Finn. "It definitely does. I hope Burt saves me some. You were great on the show. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." Finn was ready to continue the conversation with his mother, when Rachel came up to them holding Liz in her arms.

"I just found your princess trying to sneak into the kitchen."

Finn held out his arms to the little girl, who immediately reached out to him. His hand went to her belly and he began to tickle her. The girl squealed squirmed while Finn spoke to her with a serious tone, one that was a stark contrast to the giggles coming from Liz. "You know you can't go in there."

"I think she was after the cake." Rachel said with a raised eyebrow.

Finn stopped his tickling and looked at Rachel then to Liz. "Oh, well I understand that."

Rachel laughed out loud, knowing exactly where Liz had got her sweet tooth from. It was common for those two to share a slice of cake whenever one was available. "I'm going to go see what Chris is up to."

"Okay." Finn leaned down and kissed Rachel on the cheek and she walked away. He then turned his attention to the little girl in his arms. "How about we try to sneak some out here?"

Her features lit up with anticipation. "Yeah." He began to carry her toward the kitchen door where she had been trying to sneak in and she hugged his neck tight. "Can I have chocolate?"

"Sure thing, Princess." Finn entered the kitchen and took one of the pieces of chocolate cake that was waiting to be served and placed it on a plate. He handed her a fork and they each started taking bites. "Is it good?" Liz nodded, her lips now lined with the rich chocolate from the cake. "Do you think we should let everyone else have some now?" She shook her head and Finn laughed. "This is too much cake for one little girl, how about we share just this once."

"Okay daddy."

"Atta girl."

They finished the piece between them and Finn cleaned her up. On the way out of the kitchen, Finn gave the weight staff he had hired for the evening the go ahead to bring out the cake. It was Finn's thought that if he had an outside staff come in, his regular staff could enjoy the party; this was as much a celebration for them as it was for him.

Carole spotted them exiting the kitchen and knew what they were up to. Though her gaze was on Liz, her question was for both of them. "Did you get some cake?"

Liz looked at her dad then to her grandma and shrugged. "It's good grandma."

"I bet." She smiled and tickled the girl quickly before, holding her hands out to her. "How about you come with me so daddy can mingle?"

Liz went to her grandma without hesitation. "Daddy was on TV."

"I know it." Carole kissed the girl and set her down next to her, taking her hand so she didn't wander off while she told Finn of her plans. "We are probably going to go after cake. I want to get these two winding down for bed." Carole looked down at Liz and swung their ands between them. "Are you excited for your sleepover with grandma and grandpa tonight?"

The girl squealed and Finn smiled. "I think that's a yes." He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Thanks for taking them for the night. We owe you and Burt one." They parted ways and Finn spotted Rachel standing with Mike and Tina. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and groaned when he heard the tail end of what she had been saying.

"-Right on the ground."

"Is my own wife telling on me?"

Mike laughed and extended his hand to Finn for a handshake. "It is pretty funny man."

"It's not my fault; Chris was trying to show me something he made at school." He shook his head, remembering how he had to clean up a mess of spilled eggs on the floor of their kitchen at home.

"Whatever helps you sleep." Mike teased.

Finn shifted and Rachel turned slightly so that she could see his face. "I can't believe you ratted me out."

"It is funny and it's not often that my ultra-successful chef husband drops scrambled eggs on the floor." Rachel laughed, her back still pressed into Finn as their friends watched on.

"I guess that's a little true, but still."

Rachel spun slightly and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Poor baby."

"Did you tell them to bring out the cake?" Mike asked, noticing how the appetizers were now disappearing at a slower rate than they had been.

Finn looked over to where the cake was supposed to be set up, happy to see the wait staff lingering there. "Yeah. It should be over there now." He leaned down and whispered in Rachel ear. "I have yours waiting for when everybody leaves."

She turned in his arm, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hmmm I like the sound of that."

"Okay, that's our cue to go." Tina turned. She was used to her friends' unapologetic affections towards one another, but that didn't mean she wanted to watch.

"Sorry man." Finn laughed and held his hand out to Mike. "Thanks for everything. I know that none of this would have been possible without you and your culinary mastery."

Mike shook the hand Finn offered and smiled proudly. "It's been my pleasure."

Tina looked between the two men and then to Rachel, who simply shrugged. "It sounds like you two are breaking up. You do know that you will see each other tomorrow, right?"

The four friends started to laugh as they all realized how silly they sounded. Mike took Tina's hand and began to pull her away. "Okay, we are going to find the kids and get some cake; hopefully they haven't already gotten into it."

"Good luck with that." Rachel called out to them as they walked away.

Finn pulled Rachel closer to him and placed a kiss on her willing lips before pulling back. "Mom and Burt are going to head out after cake."

"Then we get the night to ourselves." She pressed herself into him and tightened her grip around his neck before rising up on her toes for another kiss.

"Can't wait."

"Could you two stop sucking face for five minutes and get this kid off my back?"

Rachel turned in Finn's arms and began to laugh at the sight in front of her. Chris was on Jesse's back, arms locked tight around his neck. "Chris, did you mess up Uncle Jesse's hair?" The horrified look on Jesse's face made both her and Finn laugh harder. Jesse's unlocked Chris's hands and turned around so that Finn could help him down.

"I thought we were friends, man. Can't you have a little mercy on me?" Jesse gave a mock glare to the boy then looked at Finn and Rachel. "Can't you two control your kids?"

Over the years, Jesse had remained close to Rachel and eventually Finn. The couple knew that he was instrumental in getting them together, even if he wasn't very tactful. Chris and Liz both referred to him as an uncle and he played the part well. Now a director, Jesse had yet to settle down with a family of his own so he was often found with the Hudson family.

Rachel and Finn both laughed again and Finn held a hand to Chris for a high five. "How did he get up there?"

"Grandpa helped me." Chris said before leaning closer to his parents. "He also told me that Uncle Jesse thinks messed up hair is funny."

Jesse gasped, causing a new round of laughter from Finn and Rachel. "I'm going to go have a chat with Burt."

"Burt and my mom have the kids for the night, try not to upset him. If he backs out, They are going for a sleepover at your house." Rachel warned.

Jesse smirked and eyed Burt across the room. "Is that so?" He looked down at Chris, "Let's go get you a piece of cake, the biggest one we can find."

"Yeah!"

Chris followed Jesse to where the cake was as Finn and Rachel looked on in amusement. "Your parents are going to kill him."

Soon enough the party had come to an end and the only people left in the restaurant were Finn and Rachel. The previously bustling restaurant was now left silent after what was considered to be a successful celebration. Friends and family left with full bellies, the wait staff cleaned up the majority of the mess, and Carole and Burt had taken a sugar high Chris and Elizabeth to their hotel for a sleep over. The day had been busy and exciting and as far as Finn was concerned, it was just getting started.

As promised, Finn went into the kitchen to finish the dessert he had started earlier; once finished, he brought it out set it between him and Rachel on the same table that had been the setting of their first date. Rachel looked plated decadence and licked her lips. She could plainly see the scoop of ice cream in the middle of the plate topped with strawberries, raspberries, sauce and whipped cream.

"Oh, this looks delicious. What is the sauce?"

"It's a raspberry balsamic glaze. I wanted to try it." Finn scooped a small bite into a spoon, being sure to get some of the toppings in the bite. He reached across the table, holding the spoon to her lips.

"Mmmm. That's delicious. What's the crunchy part?"

Finn took a bite for himself, please with the way it had turned out. "It's a graham cracker crumble."

"I think it fits well with this." She took her spoon and helped herself to another bite while Finn did the same.

"It gives it a little crunch."

She took another bite, this time mixing in several on the berries. "It's really good." They each took a couple more bite, finishing the tasty dessert in a few more bites. "You are too good to me."

"No such thing. But if there was, you know what would help even the score?" Rachel watched him suspiciously as he stood from the table and held his hand out to her. "You could dance with me."

Rachel took his hand. "There's no music, Finn." Even without music, she stood up, ready to feel his arms around her.

"I can fix that. _Don't stop believin' hold on to that feeling._" Finn twirled her as he sang an old favorite of theirs loudly. He had access to music, but singing a few bars never seemed to make her smile. He loved her smile. He was not disappointed when she began laughing, the sound music in its own right. He stopped singing and pulled her close he began to sway with her in the empty restaurant.

"You're a goofball."

Finn leaned down and pressed a kiss to her willing lips as they pressed into each other further. He pulled back, smiling at her. "You love me anyway."

"I do." Finn moved them a few steps closer to the hostess stand where he pressed play on the sound system. An instrumental classic played softly throughout the restaurant and Finn pulled Rachel closer. His arms wrapped around her once again as they swayed to the rhythm in each other's embrace.

Often times, a kiss is shared between two people who are brought together by circumstance. It is rare that the kiss is that circumstance. With every kiss shared between them, Finn and Rachel knew how lucky they were to have been in that small, fortunate group. And ten years later, each of them did everything that they could to make sure the other knew just how lucky they were.

More often than not, it could be told in a kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- And there we have it! This concludes this story, thank you all so much for the unwavering support. I really enjoyed writing this one, it was a blast. I love all of you.**


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